Wire handling attachment for tractors



Dec. 6, 1960 M. J. HEIDER WIRE HANDLING ATTACHMENT/FOR TRACTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1957 R z r --Lr 65M"; a 6

ATTORNEYS Dec. 6, 1960 M. J. HEIDER 2,963,239

WIRE HANDLING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1957 INVENTOR 5&5 1 #5052 ATTORNEYS United States Patent WIRE HANDLING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS This invention relates to a wire handling attachment for farm tractors.

In many farming operations, particularly in the open land areas in the middle and far west, it is desired to frequently relocate wire fences, and these are often fences of considerable length. For example, it may be desired to fence off and till a certain area of range as a temporary operation. It may be desired to set off a certain pasture or feeding area for stock, with the necessity of moving this area in one or two seasons. This presents the farmer or ranch owner with the necessity of rolling, storing and later unrolling and stringing large quantities of fence wire. This frequency of handling makes it economically impossible for the farmer or rancher to call in outside help with special equipment for taking down a fence or stringing a new one. In addition, much of the wire used is barbed wire and this is very difficult to safely handle. It is necessary to have some means, therefore, which is within the range of the average farmer for handling the fence wire with a minimum of manpower.

It is an object of this invention to provide an attachment for a standard farm tractor which utilizes the power takeoff of the tractor for performing the task of taking up fence wire and forming storage rolls thereof, and which may also be used in the task of laying wire for new fences.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an attachment which may be applied to a tractor in a simple operation without modification of the tractor, and which may be removed and remounted when desired by the manipulation of two or three bolts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment in which an adjustable friction clutch is provided between the drive pulley and the winding reel, so as to prevent undue strain being placed on the wire during manipulation of the tractor, which might cause breakage of the strand and also to provide adjustable tension means for the wire strand during an unrolling and laying or stringing operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a reel which forms a storage coil and wherein the reel is so constructed that the formed coil may be easily removed, or that a storage coil may be easily placed for a stringing operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of simple and economical construction which may be sold at a moderate retail price.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be presently apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view showing the attachment of the invention as applied to a farm tractor;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of 2,963,239 Patented Dec. 6, 1960 the arrows 33 of Fig. 2 and showing the details of the mounting bracket;

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary section taken on the lines 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View of another scale taken on the lines 5--5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional View taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view on another scale of the outer portion of the winding reel as it appears when removed from the attachment for taking off or mounting a wound coil.

With reference to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the device of the present invention as it is attached to the standard farm tractor T. Practically all standard makes of farm tractors are provided with a lower side frame rail 10 and a power take-off pulley 11 which extends outwardly from the side frame. Clutch control means is provided in the tractor for starting or stopping the rotation of the pulley.

The present invention is provided with a mounting bracket 12 which is particularly designed to adapt itself to any tractor. The base of the bracket comprises two elongated fiat strips 13 which are connected by welding to a spacer strip 14. To this assembly is welded a short sleeve 15 which forms a socket for a shaft 16. The shaft 16 is permanently and securely fixed in the short sleeve 15. In most tractors the side frame rail is provided with a number of drilled holes which are designed for the connection of various attachments. To attach the bracket it is only necessary to place bolts 17 in two of the holes in the rail 11) and extend them through the slots formed by the elongated fiat strips 13. This accommodates holes of any spacing and also permits the bracket some degree of movement along the side frame rail 10 for proper centering or placement of the attachment.

The shaft 16 carries outwardly of the short sleeve 15 a stop sleeve 18 which is provided with a set screw 19' and an associated lock nut. This stop sleeve 18 permits adjustment of the reel assembly along the shaft 16 so that it may be properly spaced from the side of the tractor.

Mounted on the shaft 16 and normally freely rotatable thereon is a belt pulley 19 which is engaged by a belt 20 which extends to the power take-off pulley 11. This pulley 19 is provided with spokes 21 which extend to a hub 22. This hub is provided with a set screw 23 and associated lock nut. This set screw 23 is not normally in engagement with the shaft 16 but may be engaged therewith for a certain purpose later to be described.

A circular clutch plate 24 is welded or otherwise secured to the spokes 21 and hub 22. Spaced from this clutch plate 24 is an outer ring clutch plate 25. This plate 25 has a relatively large clearance opening 26, as will be noted in Figs. 2 and 4. At least two of the spokes 21 have bolts 27 extending therethrough and each bolt carries a coil compression spring 28. Each bolt also carries a clamping plate 29. Tightening of the nuts on the bolts 27 tends to draw the ring clutch plate toward the fixed circular clutch plate, while the coil springs 28 tend to bias the ring clutch plate outwardly when the bolts are loosened.

A reel sleeve 30 is positioned on the shaft 16 and this sleeve has fixed to its inner end an inside clutch plate 31. This plate is clamped between the circular clutch plate 24 and the ring clutch plate 25, but may rotate therebetween against the force of friction caused by the adjustable clamping arrangement. The reel sleeve 30 carries a spoked reel side 32 which forms the inner side of the winding reel.

A second reel sleeve 33 is positioned for rotation upon the shaft 16 and this has welded thereto an outer spoked reel side 34. Each of the spokes of said reel side 34 has an arm 35 projecting inwardly thereof, which inclines inwardly toward the shaft 16. The group of inclined arms 35 forms a tapered core for the reel. It will be noted that the arms 35 are not attached to the inner spoked reel side 32 and the outer spoked reel side with its associated arms 35 is separable when it is moved outwardly from the shaft 16.

To provide a stop means for the separable reel portion just described there is a sleeve 36 which is provided with a set screw 37.

The operation of the device is as follows:

It is assumed that a fence is being dismantled and that a long stretch of wire has been removed from the post and is resting on the ground. The attachment is applied to the tractor and the bolts 27 are tightened to the degree necessary to adjust the clutch according to the Weight and size of the wire. The free end of the Wire W is then secured to the reel, the tractor having been aligned with the wire reach. The power take-off pulley 11 is then activated by the tractor controls. This drives the belt 20 which turns the belt pulley 19 that is freely rotatable on the shaft 16. The belt pulley 19 carries with it the clutch plates 24 and 25 and the force of friction on the inside clutch plate 31 drives the said plate and the reel sleeve 30. The inner spoked reel side is driven with the sleeve 30 and so is the outer spoked reel side 34. The wire W is thus drawn upon the reel and wound upon the core formed by the arms 35. The clutch maintains a fixed tension upon the wire and if the wire should hang up, the clutch will slipand wire breakage will be avoided.

' When winding of the wire reach has been completed or when the reel has been filled, the clutch to the power take-ofi pulley 11 is uncoupled by the tractor operator and the loose end of the wire secured to the formed roll. The set screw 37 is then loosened and the stop sleeve 36 removed. This permits the outer spoked reel side 34 to be removed. Because of the taper in the core structure the formed coil may be easily removed as a unit and placed in storage.

If the device is to be used for unrolling and stretching a wire reach, the outer spoked reel side 34 is removed and the coil slipped thereon. The side 34 is then replaced and locked on by the set screw 37. The set screw 23 is then tightened so that the hub 22 will be fixed to the shaft 16, thus preventing rotation of the belt pulley 19 and the attached clutch plates 24 and 25. The wire is then pulled from the reel, causing the reel to rotate and along with it the inside clutch plate 31. This plate 31 will frictionally engage the fixed clutch plates 24 and 25 and tension will be placed on the wire reach and overrun will be prevented.

' If desired, the tractor may be held stationary and the 4 Wire strand will be drawn along the ground as the reel, driven by the power take-01f pulley of the tractor, gradually takes up the wire and .forms the coil. If desired, the tractor may be moved slowly toward the free end of the strand as the reel rotates, and this makes it possible to take some of the strain off a long reach. This is also true in the converse Operation, namely, the laying of a strand.

While there i h n Sh wn ndde sr b the P F S I embodiment of the invention, it is neVerthelesstdbe understood that minor changes may-be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. l' W M i What is claimed is:

l. A wire reeling attachment for tractors including power take-off means, comprising a mounting bracket for securement on a tractor, a shaft fixed to said bracket and extending outwardly from said tractor, a pulley freely journaled on said shaft for connection to the tractor power take-ofi, an axially separable two-part wire reel journaled on said shaft outwardly of said driven pulley, and a clutch plate'fixed to said pulley and circumposed about said shaft, a clamp plate yieldably urgedaxially toward said clutch plate, said reel including a non relndl ble inner side portion adjacent said pulley and secured on a sleeve on said shafhfs'aid' sleeve extending through said clamp plate andbeing'secured to an intermediate'clutch plate interposed between said first mentioned clutch p'late and clamp plate, said'reel including a removable outer side having an axial core portion and rotating with and detachably engaging said inner side.

2. This structure of claim 1; and means on said pulley for fixedly securing it on said shaft whereby the reel may be rotated subject to residual drag imposed by said first mentioned clutch plate and clamp plate on said interrnediate clutch plate. i

3. The structure of claim 1; said clamp plate including means for adjusting the same axially relative to said first mentioned clutch plate for adjusting the residual drag imposed on said intermediate clutch plate. l

4. The structure of claim 1; said core portion tapering axially toward said inner side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,438,486 Gorman Dec. 12, 1922 1,631,432 Schuetz June 7, 1927 2,190,398 Bugatti Feb. 13, 1940 2,225,180 Olesen Dec. 17, 1940 2,237,560 Johnson et al Apr. 8, 1941 2,324,350 Baal July 13, 1943 2,494,383 Foran Ian. 10, 1950 2,507,272 Rosendahl May 9, 1950 

